Name: Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt Dennis Galuszka 1962 Telecaster NOS Local Blonde Rosewood With Case
Brand: Truetone Music
SKU: fender-custom-shop-masterbuilt-dennis-galuszka-1962-telecaster-nos-local-blonde-rosewood-with-case
Availability: InStock

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Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt Dennis Galuszka 1962 Telecaster NOS Local Blonde Rosewood With Case

The Only Rosewood Tele of Its Kind

Truetone Music is proud to have a long and close relationship with Fender, especially with the Custom Shop. Every so often, we make a pilgrimage there to sit down with Masterbuilders to cook up a batch of amazing guitars. Sometimes we go for vintage-styled recreations, sometimes we go for modernized tweaks. Sometimes it's a classic color, sometimes it's a totally new color or even reclaimed wood. No matter what, they always knock it out of the park!

This Rosewood Tele is a result of this partnership. In a meeting with Masterbuilder Dennis Galuszka, we were presented with some very unique wood that we all knew we had to make use of. The end result was stunning. Yes, it's a Rosewood Tele, but not in the traditional sense. This is a one of a kind version.

The first thing you'll notice is that it's Blonde Rosewood, which is rarely seen on a guitar. The wood was sourced from Street Tree Revival, whose sister company West Coast Arborists hold most of the tree trimming contracts in California. Instead of grinding the wood into landfills they save it for use - and Dennis Galuszka was able to score some prized pieces. The wood used in this guitar is locally grown rosewood. This particular tree was from a park in Orange County, which as it grew, began to tear up a sidewalk. Instead of being scrapped, it was salvaged, processed and eventually became this beautiful guitar.

The Blonde Rosewood was used for the top and back of the body, which has an Ash center. This creates a rich, deep tone that also has the snappiness needed for a Tele. Ash is what was used on the original guitars built by Fender in the early 1950's; it was in the late 1960's that Fender debuted the Rosewood Tele made famous by George Harrison. In some ways, this guitar, by having both Ash and Rosewood, is combining the best of two classics.

The Quartersawn Maple neck is topped by Blonde Rosewood, tying it all together. We chose the Mid 60's Oval C for the neck shape, partly because it's period accurate, but also because it's seen as the most comfortable vintage Fender neck shape. We did the modern playability touch of a 9.5" radius and 6105 (narrow tall) frets, both of which are the most popular customizations.

At Galuszka's suggestion we went with Josefina Handwound '63 Tele pickups. These are a true recreation of the original '63 Tele pickups with all of the bite and warmth to spare. They have a strong output and a nice, even response across the tonal spectrum. Alnico 2 magnets, vintage stagger and enamel wire provide the tone that players have fallen in love with for the last 60 years.

The guitar is rounded out with period vintage tuners, bridge, string tree, neck plate and other hardware. For a nice touch, we went with a light gold anodized pickguard - Dennis picked one that perfectly matches the wood grain. It comes with a Custom Shop hardshell case, strap and Certificate of Authenticity.

A Masterbuilt instrument is like no other, and this is truly a one of a kind. We specifically chose to work with Dennis on this guitar, as he's one of our favorite builders, especially for exotic wood builds - we feel that it's part of his specialty. We've done a lot of Rosewood Teles with him over the years, but this is the first (and only) Blonde Rosewood Tele! Come to Truetone Music to see it yourself, or order it right here right now.

About the builder:

Dennis Galuszka began building high-end acoustic guitars during his 13 years as a cabinetmaker, combining his passions for music and woodworking. As a self-taught drummer, it was a fateful audition with one of the Fender master builders that led to a job interview (and a steady gig). Hired as an apprentice, he was promoted to master builder in 1999. Galuszka has since built instruments for many influential players, including country legend Buck Owens and jazz master Robben Ford.

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